For Purple Mountain Majesties
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
A beautiful 4th of July early morning view of Mount Massive (14,428 feet):
With all of us partaking (either as runners, pacers, or crew) in the Leadville 100 race next month, we set off to experience most of the 2nd half of the course on this perfect mid-week holiday.
Heading up the steep backside of Hope… envisioning what this feels like at mile 52 of the 100 mile race…
Breaking above treeline and gathering energy from the beautiful Rocky Mountain views!
The winding switchbacks…
…to the top of the Pass!
Charging to the top:
Hope Pass (12,620′)!
Rocky Mountain Runners:
The amazing Leila Degrave just 5 days after a top 10 (and sub-22 hour) finish at the legendary Western States 100 Mile endurance race!
And Kea, the mountain dog, taking a break from marmot chasing to enjoy the views down towards Twin Lakes below:
Somehow I don’t think most 4th of July celebrations include snow!
Making our way down the other side of Hope:
On the valley floor, trying to find the shallowest point to cross…
Fireworks on the 4th of July!
Popsicles and ice cream too!
And on wards for another few hours along the Colorado Trail and the beautiful Aspen super highway:
and across the planet pine tree:
A junction in the road… which way to go?!
Which ever way leads us across more beautiful terrain and breathtaking views!